A report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows whale entanglements in U.S. waters in 2017 were slightly above the 10-year average — but there is good news on the West Coast.

According to the report released Thursday, Dec. 6, entanglements off Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California decreased significantly. In all, there were 31 entangled whales reported along the West Coast in 2017 compared to 62 in 2015 and 71 in 2016.

Along the California coast, 25 entanglements were reported last year. Nationally, there were 76 entanglements in 2017, higher than the 10-year-average of 69.5.

The report looked at whale entanglement data with the goal of developing strategies to reduce the number. “It’s happening everywhere,” said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for NOAA.

NOAA officials said there are no easy explanations for why numbers were down on the West Coast, though researchers point to a series of events in previous years that increased the risk for sea mammals. From 2013 to 2016, “warm blob” ocean conditions — when water temperatures rose — forced marine mammals to search for food close to the coastline, increasing their risk of becoming entangled in traps.

“Whales moved into areas to forage where they did not previously spend time,” Milstein said. “That brought them into closer proximity to where the crab traps were.”

Milstein also emphasized an improvement in stewardship among fisheries along the West Coast and vigilance among whale watch charter operators and private boaters.

In Oregon, fisheries are developing a technique used on the East Coast that puts barriers around the traps to limit entanglement risk.

“This is great news for whales and the whale watch community,” said Donna Kalez, who operates Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching and is also on NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. “We never want to see anything entangled. I recently went to a seminar on deep set buoy gear which offers a better way to catch swordfish without using the drift gill nets. While that hasn’t been implemented yet, this is great news.”

Kalez and other whale watch charter operators in Orange County have been more vigilant in recent years to keeping a lookout on the water. Fisheries, too, have taken steps to reduce the amount of gear left in the water.

“The Dungeness crab fishery is super aware,” Kalez said. “They’ve gone out of their way to remove (abandoned) gear. That’s what whales get wrapped up in the most.”

In California, seven entangled humpback whales were found in Monterey Bay in 2017 and eight gray whales were found in the lower half of the Southern California Bight — between Point Conception and San Diego.

While overall entanglements were down in the West, gray whale entanglements were up. There were 11 reports of gray whale entanglements in 2017 in U.S. waters, all spotted along their migration in the Pacific Ocean, between Alaska and Mexico.

“The increase in entangled gray whales may suggest the animals overlapped with West Coast fishing efforts more than usual in 2017 during their annual migrations,” NOAA researchers concluded.

Ryan Lawler, who operates Newport Coastal Adventure out of Newport Harbor, said he is disappointed to see the rise in gray whale entanglements.

“A lot of those entanglements happen in Mexico,” he said. “You want to see the same level of cooperation and awareness you see in the U.S.”

About 70 percent of confirmed cases in 2017 were of whales entangled in fishing gear — lines, buoys, traps or nets.

Along the West Coast, crab pots are the most common form of fishing gear associated with whale entanglements. NOAA is working with the Dungeness crab industry in California to determine ways to reduce the entanglements. In October, the Dungeness Crab Commission in Oregon agreed to support a study to prevent whale entanglements.

For Dave Anderson, who operates Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point Harbor, the decline in entanglements on the West Coast is a relief.

However, Anderson, who started the Orange County Disentanglement Task Force in 2008, said the decrease could just mean some whales that are entangled may not be seen.

“We went through years where we didn’t have entanglements,” he said. “I’m happy there are less. But, let’s not take the pressure off the fishing industry and say ‘problem solved.’”

Of the 76 documented entanglements in U.S. waters, the National Large Whale Entanglement Response Network was able to respond to 50 and successfully remove gear from 20 whales. Teams responded to 14 whales off the California coast and were able to partially or completely free eight from their entanglements.

Humpbacks topped the list of the most entangled species, but some of the entanglements involved endangered North Atlantic right whales on the East Coast and blue whales on the West Coast, “which could impede recovery of these species,” according to the report.

Seventy of the reported entanglements were of living whales; six were deceased. There were 14 more cases reported, but those could not be confirmed and the whales were not relocated by the response teams.

The report notes that some of the entanglements may have originated in waters outside the United States because of the long migration patterns between feeding and breeding grounds.

NOAA Fisheries tries to collect and identify entangling gear during each response in order to work with fishing communities to reduce future entanglements. “However, definitive identification is not always possible,” the report reads.

The five most frequently entangled large whale species in 2017 were humpback whales, gray whales, minke whales, blue whales and North Atlantic right whales. Humpbacks make up 68.1 percent of all confirmed entanglements since 2007.

To report an entangled whale in California, contact: 877-SOS-WHALE (877-767-9425)

Erika Ritchie reports on South Orange County coastal communities, military issues and Camp Pendleton for the OC Register. She explores everything from coastal access, environmental issues and marine life to city government, animal welfare and quality of life. She’s won many awards including first place in news (2016) by the Orange County Press Club for her coverage of record numbers of whale entanglements off the California coast. Erika’s covered military change of command and seen military affairs firsthand from the sea aboard a battleship, air from a MV-22 Osprey, and land including Pendleton’s International war games and San Clemente Island’s ordnance ranges. Journalism allows Erika’s penchant for telling human stories of conflict, struggle and joy. Her monthly Everyday Hero feature does just that, highlighting achievements of some of Orange County’s most dedicated volunteers and non-profit leaders. Since joining the Register in 2001, she’s at times covered every city in South Orange County delving into development, housing, transportation, county government and social issues. She’s often written about Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick Warren’s emerging national and global roles. Erika’s passionate about animals and outdoor adventure. She runs, stand-up paddles and skis - both alpine and x-country. She frequents Mammoth Lakes and Mountain for hiking, biking & skiing and for her dogs to frolic in the snow and lakes. She grew up bilingual in German and conversational in French.

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.

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